Who else doesn't settle for just stock? And wants custom/unique all the way?

It kind of hit me the other day..I realized while others go out and buy a stock bike from their bike shop or God forbid..a large retailer and are completely happy with their purchase, I wouldn't be..I read bike and component reviews on mtbr all the time and for example people complain that the seat on a stock bike isn't comfortable so they rate the bike less worthy. It got me thinking, I don't like anything stock, if my saddle isn't comfortable, change it. Sure the manufactures/builders could have put a different seat on there but its not going to work for every one. Now I am rambling. Anyway I was wondering if anyone else out there just doesn't settle for stock and wants a completely unique ride that fits them and is all their own..

Who else doesn't settle for just stock? And wants custom/unique all the way?

I have not gone with a full custom frame build yet but my most recent bike, a commuter, was built with a production frame from the ground up.

I enjoyed the build and the only things I had someone else do for me were the wheels and frame prep. I bought a lot of lower priced components to save a little money and I am still completely satisfied with the bike.

I will be doing something similar for my next mtb at least. I don't think I will be able to afford a custom built frame just yet.

I could enjoy a bare stock bike just fine. All my previous bikes started that way. My current mtb is barely recognizable from its stock form, however. A lot of folks think it is newer than 10yrs old. But that was all done gradually as parts wore out or I got an itch to upgrade and found some deal. I don't think I've outright broken anything on it. Just wore things out after a lot of years.

Anyway I was wondering if anyone else out there just doesn't settle for stock and wants a completely unique ride that fits them and is all their own..

here here!! though i only own 3 bikes 2 of which were purchased from my LBS and have received some dress up bits however the 3rd steed was a production frame 2012 surly pugsley that i spent 6 months collecting various parts for before the assembly began, the adrenaline, the excitement of this build is a drug you can't buy @ your local pharmacy.

I too have not gone the full custom frame but do custom choose everything else. Still a compromise between price and performance though. Build my own wheels, choose my gearing (I still run old school square taper 94/58 mm stuff). Even still running thumb shifters. Yup, my bike's built up as a pure go anywhere, ride anything up and down trail bike.

The pride and joy of my teenage years was a frame up Redline pl20. My father decided it would teach me a valuable lesson to buy the frame of the bike i asked for and let me do the rest. Took almost a year to complete. Pops was correct, i appreciated that bike so much more than my friends appreciated theirs.

Now? You all are ballin harder than i am. This Jan i coughed up 3g for my new bike. Stock as fvck, and while i appreciate the bike and consider it worth every penny... im way to much of a scrooge to change a damn thing on it till it breaks. I suppose if i shat money id have custom builds on multiple bikes, but i aint rollin like that. Nor do i jump on my bike for a ride and think "this bike NEEDS blablabla". I love my bike as is.

I do appreciate a good custom build pic. Stop telling us how bad ass you bike is and show us some bike porn.

The last bike that I bought complete from the LBS got new handlebars before I even rode it.
After seeing how 99% of wheels on store bought bikes are not for me, I now look at frames for builds. I haven't bought a complete bike in 5 years.

I used to be like that.

Right now, none of my bikes are full stock but in the future, that is the way I would go. Most bikes I see on the floor are so well equipped that it is a waste of money to start changing parts until they need replacement. Over my decades of riding I've gone from full stock to full custom, including custom frames, back to building up my own bike based on an available frame set and now full stock for my next purchase.

Who else doesn't settle for just stock? And wants custom/unique all the way?

I've bought 1 complete bike ever and ended up changing too much on it. I've always built my bikes from the frame up.
It's the way to go. Sure it may cost more but being 100% happy with what you have is worth it.

The last 'stock' bike I rode was my 87 Raleigh Technium road bike I commuted on in college. Rode it stock for a few months before going SS, then fixed, then 1x6, then fixed, then giving it away to a friend. Actually swapped the stock saddle out pretty quickly more a more comfortable Selle Italia saddle. Swapped the bartape as well since I didnt like the white tape. Also swapped the pedals for some that would take cages, and the seatpost for a taller one. Come to think of it that bike didnt last stock for more than a few weeks and was my first adult bike.

Every MTB I've ever had has been built from the frame up trying to get as much bike as I can get for the money I have at the time. I like working on bikes almost as much as riding them and it's a lot better to spec a bike out how you want it rather than how a product manager thinks it should be.

Who else doesn't settle for just stock? And wants custom/unique all the way?

I've never kept a bike stock either. My 5-Spot was about as close to staying stock as I've owned. I still haven't changed a ton of stuff but little things. Thumbie instead of a front shifter. Granted it was built up the way I wanted it. I didn't turn the wrenches but I choose the bits. My other bikes have pretty much been built frame up.

I haven't purchased a complete bike since high school (about 10 years ago now). I always start with a frame and add my own choice of components. I find with a few compromises and some patience, I can come up with a better spec'd bike for less money.

I think I have always changed parts on my bikes starting with the double crown I had put on my giant AC 2. I was gifted a giant reign 2 and am slowly changing parts. Bars and stem were changed when the shop put it together. Since I have replaced the brakes and rotors, shifters, saddle, pedals, and a bit of other bling like seat post clamp. Still a lot I want to do to it.

I have only purchased 3 bikes new from bike shops in my whole life, all my other bikes have been used purchases. But the 3 I did buy complete, only 1 I changed stuff out on. My pugs has seemed to be my project bike I guess, I dunno why I think that one needs changed out. It wasn't uncomfortable(well, except for the stock seat and stem length), the other things I switched out just because I thought they looked better or made it unique. But my other 2 LBS bikes were/are used for commuting/errands so they were understated and I didn't want to sink money into them in case they got stolen or crashed.

I guess when you rate a complete bike, it is tricky. Comfort is subjective and assembly can make things work well or suck due to the LBS worker. So then you rate on value? Or styling? Or accuracy of geometry?

Thanks for all the replies, and again there is nothing wrong with stock. However well.. I couldn't resist. Like I said I had that itch again and wanted to try something far left field..so I ended picking up a 2011 Slingshot Ripper frame. The slingshot concept is such an oddity and I also have an draw for tech that doesn't change but is still being used (cough..YBB). I am also very curious once its built up, about the caterpillar like climbing like abilities (if there is any).

As a side note, my riding buddies weren't too happy with my that I was ahead of them on my re-fer-bed Outpost trail today when they have 29ers.

I gotta admit, today's bikes right off the showroom floor are way better than what one used to get stock off the floor. Much better value I think. For trails here (and places I travel to), I certainly don't like the wider bars and like lower gears than what's normally offered stock.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a "stock" bike. It's a quicker and cheaper way to get on a new bike today. As parts break, you can replace them.

This winter, I bought a frame and did my first full-custom build on a hard tail. Not including the frame, I have more money in parts on that bike as my "stock" full suspension bike when I purchased it new 2 years ago.

The secret to mountain biking is pretty simple. The slower you go the more likely it is youíll crash.
- Julie Furtado

In the 16 or 17 years I have been riding I have never purchased a complete bike and rode it. Maybe I am ocd, but I have always started with a frame and built it up. Hell, some of them I have sand blasted and repainted.

Yes I know I have a problem. . .

This was a year or so ago, None of the bike is the picture have the same build today. . .

I've never enjoyed a so called stock bike without slowly changing it to fit. In fact I'll never purchase any complete bike again. Unless you absolutely need the latest big name frame, this strategy ends up yielding a crappy "deal" in the long run. With lots of mechanical experience, stubborn frugality and enough time to build up exactly what fits, buying a nice enough frame loaded down with logo intensive schwag seems impulsive at best. If lots more of us weren't doing this brick and mortar sales oriented dealers would be increasing market share in the bike biz. Sad, but the numbers don't lie. That model was based on the auto industry and it's obsolete due to online availability and near instant shipping. As further consolidation allows distributors to direct sell product this will cease to be an issue as everything will be custom and the idea of "stock" will fade. People are waking up to the concept of branding manipulation and it's only a matter of time.

I just started riding last July/August. Started with a stock Cobia and the only thing left stock is the saddle. I have a Yelli Screamy on order and will build it up with all the aftermarket parts from my Cobia. Sometimes I think I have a sickness.....

I just finished my first custom build from the frame up. There is a pride in the fact that you can be 99.9999999% sure there is no other bike out there exactly identical to yours. And I do all my own work except for wheels (for now, hoping to learn soon) and I thoroughly enjoy riding my custom build because I built it up. Higher end stock bikes have great components, but they're the same as the one next to it. I enjoy a small amount of "bling" and personality to my bike.

On my road bike, I carefully selected every component. Everything about the frame was custom - material, tube length, tube type, geometry, fillet brazing, braze ons, and paint. Every component was carefully considered for size, weight, cost, and aesthetics. I spent about 6 hours with the Fit Kit and on a Serotta size cycle before I ordered the frame and another 2 dialing in the final fit. In the late 1990s, I spent upwards to 12 hours a day in the saddle, and that bike NEEDED to be comfortable. That I continue to happily ride it today is a testament to the original frame design and build, the LBSs that have taken care of me, and my own attention to the bike.

On my last mountain bike, I only upgraded as parts broke or when I got a screaming deal. Heck, when my XT shifters wore out a few years ago, they were replaced by Deore. For me, there was no performance lost. On my new mountain bike, I've made minimal changes for fit and comfort. I'll upgrade parts when they wear out, but I have no need to upgrade just for the sake of saying I have a Thomson this or an XTR that. Even though it was a budgeted bike, almost everything about my new bike works well enough for me. I'm thankful to have a new bike, and I don't feel the need to break the bank for small, incremental improvements. And as much as I would like to, I don't spend the continuous time on the bike or even stay in the saddle during a ride as much to warrant a custom everything.

I have to agree there is such a feeling of accomplishment when you put your own personal touch on things. Of course building a bike from the ground up is soo rewarding, but when something goes wrong, you know who is to blame

Who else doesn't settle for just stock? And wants custom/unique all the way?

Originally Posted by sxotty

You ought to try building wheels some time. It is easy and relaxing. You can just watch a movie or something while you build a wheel set.

It's been lack of proper tools rather than skill or any of that. I did once relace the drive side of a freebie rear wheel using the zip tie method to true it but that was hardly ideal. A real truing stand and a tensiometer would set me right

It's been lack of proper tools rather than skill or any of that. I did once relace the drive side of a freebie rear wheel using the zip tie method to true it but that was hardly ideal. A real truing stand and a tensiometer would set me right

I won't deny those things help, but if you start with new wheel components they are not so important. When everything is new you would be shocked how well it turns out. I built my first rear wheel with nothing but a spoke wrench (and my ears). Later my friend was talking up his tensiometer and so forth (basically saying his bought wheel could use tweaking and it was better after). Anyway I measured my wheel it is was closer to perfect than his bought wheel I have a tensiometer now though as well as a stand. It does make it easier and is pretty much essential when rebuilding with used components. I had a wheel where I broke some nipples and spokes and there is no way I could have gotten it in decent shape again without the tools.

My first new bike when I was ~7 was stock. I broke it and my parents refused to buy me another bike until I was 12. I went and pulled parts out of the trash and built a new bike probably every month. It was really a lot of fun! I had boxes and boxes of trash parts. If I bent a wheel or wanted to try a new seat, I would just go in my garage!

Since then I've had a few stock bikes, but everything gets modded (not necessarily upgraded) as stuff breaks, and I've built at least 5 upper-end bikes from the hubs out. It is something that I very much enjoy, and I like helping other people do the same.

One thing I can say about stock bikes, though, is that they are a good point of reference. Just when I thought I knew what I wanted in a custom frame, I tried a new bike in stock form, and it totally changed my outlook on what I wanted. I am quite pleased with my current build (from the hubs out), which is ride-able, but apparently never finished.

I know that debate isn't the point of a "passion" thread, but I prefer well-spec stock. I get the whole build it better concept -- I was modifying Jeeps since I had my driver's license. But my last 2 bikes, I've spent a little more to get the higher spec version, and have been quite happy with them they way they came from the showroom.

Of course, I don't consider tires, grips, saddles, or pedals to be modifications -- I would just as soon they sold the bikes without these items. But I plan to let the more functional components -- fork, shock, drivetrain, brakes -- stay until they break or need replacement. And when I get to the point where too many items need to be replaced, I'm more likely to just sell the bike to someone who wants to tinker and get another one that is set up the way I want it from the factory.

My 2011 trance x4 was stock for the test ride in the parking lot
before I left it had new pedals, seat, shorter stem and bigger grips
When I sold it to a buddy a year and $5k later there wasnt a thing stock on the bike except the frame

I just built up a 2013 pivot 5.7 and there isnt a single thing on it stock including the linkages and pivot bolts.

My first new bike when I was ~7 was stock. I broke it and my parents refused to buy me another bike until I was 12. I went and pulled parts out of the trash and built a new bike probably every month. It was really a lot of fun! I had boxes and boxes of trash parts. If I bent a wheel or wanted to try a new seat, I would just go in my garage!

Since then I've had a few stock bikes, but everything gets modded (not necessarily upgraded) as stuff breaks, and I've built at least 5 upper-end bikes from the hubs out. It is something that I very much enjoy, and I like helping other people do the same.

-F

That exactly my story.
When my father sold the family house (10 years ago) we cleaned up the garage...we found/trashed 29 wheels of all sizes!

Stock is normally fine for he first summer or till you find something on the bike thats just not performing as it should. My Giant I kept stock all last summer except the rear derailuer was having issues so I changed it out in the first month. Over the winter I rebuilt her from the ground up, only original thing left is the frame, every other item has been chnaged to exactly what I wanted. It looks so good I don't wont to get it dirty LOL.

I don't ever buy completes, because you can always build a better bike and you will enjoy a bike much more if it is totally custom and has all the parts you picked and you want on it. I think it's a waste of money to spend 2,000 on a bike and then turn around and take everything off of it and put new parts on it. I used to have a friend that always did that. I never got it, the bike would come with deore or SLX parts and he would take em all off in a week and spend another grand putting on all XT parts. Then change the wheels the next week and then handlebars and so on, by the time he was done, he had 5,000 in a 3,000 dollar bike. If you going to buy completes I would say just buy the best model you can afford and be happy, or better yet build a new rig from the ground up and you will be stocked as ever, everytime you ride it!

For me thats what I did but nothing goes to waste, the left over parts from my HT 29er rebuild went on the FS 29er project. Reused all parts except, brakes, casstte and chain.
Besides when I bought the 29er I wasn't sure I was going to like it enough to justify building a really custome bike to hate it. Well turns out I love my 29er so it got some new toys and the leftovers went on to live on the other 29er. Even if I didnt build another bike I would have spare parts incase of a failure. I can still go out while parts are on order.

Custom/stock size.... Retrotec Triple

I bought my second or third stock bike (a roadie in this case) just last year. Other than that, I've either had my bikes built custom or bought a frame and chosen almost every part that went on the bike. In 20 years of riding/racing mountain bikes the couple of stock bikes I've bought have been mostly torn down and rebuilt within a matter of weeks or sold soon thereafter.

My latest build is a Retrotec Triple with flat black/red paint. Almost every part on it was either pulled from another bike or built specifically for this bike. I love it!

Interestingly, I live in Germany and you rarely see people do anything to their bikes to change them in any way. When tires wear they buy the same tire, etc. Many of the times I've gone into a shop and specifically asked for something the people there ask me about the thing I'm requesting they order as they often don't really care about bikes, it's just a job. Sad.... I've even had a few people say to me "You don't want that...." Um, I'm the customer, I know what I want.

I have gone the build route in the past because that's the only way I could get what I wanted. My most recent purchase was stock, with a small chain ring replacement and a different seat. Other than that, the stock bike had everything I wanted. I don't need it to be different from what other people have, I just need it to be what works for me.

Strangely, it's not that I intend to make my bikes so different, I just happen to have very different taste in comparison to what the bike companies think people should have (i.e. singlespeed... A MUST, gears optional, hate sliders, no suspension but geometry for 80mm corrected, etc.). Thus, I end up almost never being able to find anything that comes close. It's just easier to get it the way I want but, of course, it costs more. Yet, I'm much happier in the end.

I was gonna build a jabber frame up. But realized I was to impatient for a new bike. So I bought a monocog and am gonna change everything on it. Down till I have just the frame left. I'll decide at that point if I want a new frame or not. The way it rides right now in all it's 30lb glory, however, I don't see needing a different frame! The geo works for me. Besides, a steel frame draped in carbon bits, is still gonna be a pretty damn light bike! My goal is 22lb.

Re: Who else doesn't settle for just stock? And wants custom/unique all the way?

Well I bought my first serious bike in January. Trek Marlin 29er new from lbs. Well 5 months later the only thing stock still attached to the frame is the seat post. Got new seat and pedals right away, then forks, then like a drug addiction, just kept going to finally wheels last week. But now I have the perfect bike just the way I like it. Just money wise I could have bought the '12 superfly 29er FS. But lord knows I would have changed a bunch of stuff on it too ;p